The Armall Bloodline
The Armall Bloodline refers to a line of Gilnean nobility that traces its roots back to the Troll Wars and the Empire of Arathor under Thoradin. Although nearly decimated due to the Gilnean Civil War, the worgen curse, and the Forsaken invasion of Gilneas, the bloodline persists to this day. During the Arathor Empire Gavinroth Origins The earliest member of the bloodline that came to power is believed to be Gavinroth Armall, a member of a tribe in northern Lordaeron. Gavinroth was a capable warrior, having power in his clan second to the leader. Gavinroth was still in power when the high elves pleaded to humanity for aid against the Amani Empire; while their fire magic could decimate trolls, they lacked the numbers to compete with the larger and stronger trolls. Gavinroth would be put in charge of the tribe's forces; that is, if they could still be called a tribe after pledging loyalty to Emperor Thoradin. The leader staying behind, Gavinroth went off to war against the trolls. Gavinroth's forces often fought alongside those of the high elves, particularly those of a high elven noble by the name of Mreth'lor Spellbinder, a mage. The two became friends, at least as much as a human and an elf at the time would. When the high elves began to teach humans the way of the arcane, Gavinroth found himself being taught by Mreth'lor himself; it had turned out that he had a natural affinity for the arcane, like many humans of the era. During his apprenticeship to Mreth'lor, Gavinroth saw some elven cities. He was amazed by their mages' skill, their architecture, and their smithing. The Troll Wars would eventually end, with Quel'Thalas and the Arathor Empire victorious. The Amani Empire was scattered, defeated in large part due to the mages of the high elves, and the more recently trained human mages; augmented by the young humans' skill in melee combat, as well as the numbers of the united tribes. As the war ended, so Gavinroth and Mreth'lor's friendship; it is unclear why. Some family scholars believe it was due to Mreth'lor taking a liking to Gavinroth's sister, other saying that Gavinroth used dark magics that no elf would approve of; humanity, at the time, had drawn no distinction between the chaotic fel energies and the more stable arcane forces, both of which came from what would be known as the Twisting Nether. Mreth'lor would have, without a doubt, urged Gavinroth not to become ambitious. The high elves had seen the War of the Ancients, and even generations later they avoided demonic magic. Humans, however, had no such experience; their only motivation to stay away from fel magic was the word of foreigners. At some point in the war, through events that were not well documented, Gavinroth replaced his predecessor as leader of the tribe, or what was once a tribe; by then, they had been vassals of Thoradin. It is commonly accepted that the two came to blows, with Gavinroth defeating the former leader rather easily with his arcane powers. Post Troll Wars and Legacy Shortly after the war, the Arathor Empire itself fell, Emperor Thoradin dying. Several kingdoms formed, all claiming to be the rightful heir. Situated in northern Lordaeron, Gavinroth had three viable choices to make; the kingdom of Lordaeron, the magocratic city state of Dalaran, and the kingdom of Gilneas. Not wanting to share a border with the powerful and potentially dangerous elves, Gavinroth was not interested in pledging loyalty to Menethil. The restrictions that the city state of Dalaran imposed on the use of magic resulted in Gavinroth wanting to distance himself from it. He settled on pledging his loyalty to King Greymane, who controlled a very defensible peninsula to the south of Gavinroth's current lands. In exchange for his loyalty, Gavinroth became a lord of Gilneas, and his service in the years to follow would result in him being granted a fief, in the form of a castle in Gilneas' mountains, even more defensible than the peninsula itself. Gavinroth chose to fly a black phoenix on a gray background as his banner; the Black Phoenix. In this, he expressed his interest in the elves and magic, as well as his loyalty to Gilneas. Gavinroth had a wife, of course, the name of whom was lost in history. He had many children, and lived an unnaturally long life; he outlived his wife and several of his children, the latter of which had grown to adults and fallen to disease or warfare. Though he was not immortal and not nearly as long lived as the elves, and Gavinroth eventually perished, his eldest son inheriting his lands and power. It is speculated that Gavinroth died due to a weak body, aging body which was stricken with disease; at the time of his death, hundreds of Gavinroth's people disappeared as well. Oddly enough, Gavinroth's place of burial is unknown; he was not buried in the same family tomb in which his wife and children, along with many Armalls after that, were buried. Family scholars believe his body was cremated due to the supposed plague afflicting the Armall lands at the time of Gavinroth's death. After Gavinroth The Armalls stayed in the castle in the mountains after Gavinroth's death. Although it would be rebuilt numerous times, the site is still the seat of the Armall lordship. Gavinroth set a precedent for his family; magic. Many of his children were mages, as were their children. However, the tradition eventually weakened due to a variety of factors. When humans began to worship the Light, the arcane was looked down upon; although most mages weren't affected by this, the Armall family saw itself being looked at by the other nobility with increasing distrust and suspicion. Dalaran, too, played a role in the decrease of Armall mages. The Kirin Tor was not pleased with a fairly powerful noble house being led by mages and practicing freely; some mages went as far to say that the Armalls had become a coven of dark magic, practicing fel magic in their castle; distant and difficult to reach. The Armalls ultimately dropped the tradition of learning the arcane, though still kept the Black Phoenix as their banner. Still, it persisted; to a lesser degree, of course. Many Armall lords throughout history sent one of their children to train in the arcane. However, they were educated at Dalaran, rather than at the castle by their family as it once was. With their magic not as prominent as before, the Armalls became a typical Gilnean family, doing nothing noteworthy for some time. Though in the years leading up to the Orcish Horde arriving on Azeroth, a prominent figure emerged.... Modern Armalls Theodore Theodore Armall is credited with restoring the Armalls to some semblance of glory. Theodore was born in a time when the Armalls were largely impoverished; they still lived decent lives, albeit as minor players in Gilneas. Theodore was not all that well educated, at least by the standards of nobility. When Theodore's father died, the family found itself in chaos. He was the oldest of the heirs, though some of his father's wealth was given to his younger siblings. One ran off with his money to Lordaeron, while the other two arranged for passage to Dalaran in hopes of becoming mages like the Armalls of old. Theodore stayed, however, and would end up wealthier than any of his siblings, or his father for that matter. It is unknown why to this date, though Theodore began a massive digging operation far in the mountains of his land. The digging continued for some time, before the workers found something interesting; truesilver. The formerly mysterious digging site became a large mining operation. A large amount of truesilver was gathered in the end. Theodore ordered that the quarry be filled once the operation was done; today, the site is unknown. Most of the truesilver was sold, though Theodore had the best dwarven blacksmiths in Ironforge fashion a fine blade from it, enhanced with thorium to make it hardier. The blade has since been passed down the line. It wasn't until after the truesilver operations that Theodore finally married. The money made from the truesilver sales brought the Armalls back to wealth; Theodore's favored trading partners were the greedy dwarves of Ironforge, eager to get their hands on such a rare metal, as well as the Kingdom of Stormwind; a warrior people, though not as barbaric as the Stromgardians. Theodore made several visits to both Ironforge and Stormwind; something unusual for a Gilnean lord of the time. Even more unusual was that Theodore befriended several nobles of Stormwind, and even several of the dwarves, who generally only cared for the riches beneath the earth; some say that his simple upbringing and lack of a proper education made him better in touch with people who were dumb brutes, at least in the eyes of most Gilneans. While Theodore did marry, he only produced one child, a boy named Barton; his wife died in childbirth and he never remarried. Although, there are rumors of Theodore having a bastard child after his wife's death; whether this is true or not remains unknown. Barton Early Life Barton Armall was not a mage, as such a path was very uncommon for Armalls during Theodore's time. Instead, Barton was taught to use a sword from a young age. Barton grew up living a lavish lifestyle, the profits from his father's truesilver mining operation serving him well. Throughout his early years, Barton ate well, drank well, and lived well, receiving a good education. Despite the fact that such a living would spoil most young men, Barton remained disciplined throughout his younger years, often harsh and sometimes cruel; one servant claims she was beaten by an adolescent Barton, though such claims were denied by both the boy and his family. As he became an adult, Barton quickly found marriage, marrying a woman from a weaker family by the name of Victoria. He produced two children; a boy, Deylen, and not too long after a girl that would be named Adelia. Barton did something no other Armall had done for years; send one of his children off to Dalaran. Wishing for Deylen to become a mage, Barton sent Deylen off to Dalaran. The Second War Several years into his marriage, Barton's father, Theodore, perished. Theodore had made plenty of money during his rule, all of it passing down to Barton. This would be fairly uneventful would it not be for the fact that just days after Theodore's death, Barton along with the rest of the human, elf, and dwarf people learned that green-skinned barbarians had poured out of the swamps to the south, marching for Stormwind. In the shadow of King Greymane and most other Gilnean lords, Barton dismissed the orcs as being a serious threat. Several nobles of Stormwind asked Barton for monetary aid; expecting him to be at least something like his father. Though he had no affection for the old men his father knew; Greymane did not think they were a threat to Gilneas and Gilneas was the only kingdom Barton cared for. It was not until Stormwind had fallen and the orcs began to march north that Gilneas had joined the Alliance, something Barton did not overly approve of. Barton pulled Deylen out of Dalaran once Stormwind was pillaged, arranging for his son to continue his magical education through private tutors in Gilneas. Barton remained passive for most of the war, as did most Gilneans. However, as the orcs neared Lordaeron, Barton marched off to war, leading his men personally. Barton was well versed in military history and tactics during his education, and his discipline would serve him and his men well. What served them better was the Armall's wealth, the fortune built by Theodore. With such money at his disposal, Barton made the risky decision to purchase many of the new technologies for his troops; gunpowder, with muskets and cannons to make use of them. Barton made good use of these innovations in the defense of Silverpine. Orcs and anyone foolish enough to fight with them had their torsos riddled with musket balls, or their bodies mangled by cannons. The Horde, as they were called, deployed little battle tactics. They blindly charged Barton's musketeers and cannons, dying by the dozen. However, the orcs did not stop. Barton never lost a battle, though he had to strategically abandon several positions. Never suffering major losses on the battlefield and often ordering his men personally, Barton emerged from the Second War as a war hero. Although most of Theodore's wealth was wasted on buying the muskets and cannons, the Armalls were of average wealth, though respected due to Barton's accomplishments. Some accounts claim that Barton was ruthless and self-serving during the war, though he was remembered for his success rather than methods. In the months following the end of the Second War, Barton supported Genn Greymane as he did before the war. Genn Greymane did not want to help pay for the repairs of Stormwind, a decision Barton agreed with. When Gilneas decided to leave the Alliance, Barton was again in full support of Greymane; he had lost much of his wealth during the war, and did not want to help pay for the orcish internment camps and repairs of a foreign nation. Barton also voiced objection at the notion of letting the orcs live, rather than just the payment needed to do so. What Barton -did- gladly help pay for, however, was the construction of the Greymane Wall. Barton never respected the other kingdoms, and especially not the elves and the dwarves. Gilneas was sealed off from foreign riffraff, left to their own affairs... The Quiet Years The war was over, and Gilneas was shut off. Barton remained in the scene of Gilnean politics. For reasons unknown, Victoria and Barton's relationship deteriorated; they remained married, of course, though their relationship became mainly political rather than passionate. They never produced another child; Deylen was often away from his home, being tutored, while Adelia grew up in the manor with her parents. She was given a normal education, though was taught no swordplay despite displaying an ambition to. As for Barton, he remained in comfortable power, loyal to his king unlike many of the lords, who objected the Greymane Wall being erected. Barton had no major dealings with the other kingdoms, and he did not care for the Alliance. The Armall's secluded lands in the southern mountains would be a blessing in this case; while some Gilnean lords with holdings in Silverpine and northern Gilneas had their lands damaged by the orcs, the Armall lands were untouched, far away from the front. Barton and Victoria grew old, never becoming close again. Deylen would become a proper mage, his sister Adelia an average noblewoman. Through leadership and cunning on Barton's part, the Armalls would be quite wealthy by the time their lord saw his first gray hairs. Though before he could settle down as an old man, Gilneas would again face war, at the hands of people far closer to them than the orcs of Draenor. The Northgate Rebellion Lord Darius Crowley, lord of Ambermill Village and Pyrewood, made a daring move that was in direct violation of the orders of Greymane; he sent ships outside of Gilneas, to help the Alliance at that. The ships managed to survive the coral reefs and stormy weather, though their lord did not fare as well; Crowley was branded a traitor by Greymane. However, the rebel lord would not go quietly; he rallied his pro-Alliance supporters, calling for rebellion against Genn Greymane, a king some considered a tyrant. Many lords joined his cause, though Barton was not among them. Barton remained a loyal subject of Greymane, one eager to crush the rebels and gain more favor at that. Though he had already seen his first gray hairs, Barton saw battle once more, attending to the field himself as he did during the Second War. He formed a special battalion, composed mainly of men who fought with him in the Second War as well as some knights, such as Malcolm Ravensdale. While many of the men were well into their forties, the new style of warfare in Gilneas did not call for physical superiority as much as the Second War did; many battles were fought with gunpowder alone, which had become mainstream in Gilneas by then. Barton still sported armor, however; full plate, which many considered to be antiquated by the Northgate Rebellion. Barton saw many victories, his men skilled in the use of firearms from their time in the Second War; likewise, the loyalist lords achieved many victories over the rebels. As time passed, a loyalist victory seemed more and more likely. Barton looked forward to the holdings he would no doubt be awarded with. Darius Crowley was finally apprehended by loyalist forces; sentenced to an indefinite imprisonment in Gilneas City, his dreams of an Alliance sympathetic Gilneas never realized... at least for the time being. Death of a Giant As one of the loyalist lords during the Rebellion, Barton was to be granted more land, most of it previously belonging to rebel lords who were imprisoned, much like Crowley. Smaller villages neglected by short-sighted lords could be turned into major trading posts, or so Barton firmly believed. In the days following the end of the Rebellion, Barton made sure to attend celebrations; he was usually a reclusive man, though he was eager to make new friends as he expanded Armall power further; it is said his greatest ambition was to attempt a marriage between one of his children to one of Greymane's; Deylen and Adelia were both just becoming adults, and so were Tess and Liam Greymane. Though, before Barton was able to so much as meet with Genn, the inevitable occurred. Barton had attended an execution in the Military District; not his own, but three rebel lords who were to be killed for their crimes by guillotine. Barton and Victoria were watching the spectacle from a nearby stage, elevated well above the crowds. Category:Gilneas Category:Nobility Category:Worgen Category:Human